Upgrade VPS to Dedicated: A Step-by-Step Migration Plan

When you outgrow your VPS, the next step is simple — upgrade VPS to dedicated hosting. The tricky part is aligning environments, syncing live data, and making sure every service runs exactly as before once the switch occurs.

If you’ve already noticed higher CPU load, database lag, or multiple SaaS components competing for resources, check out our guide 7 Signs It’s Time to Move from VPS to a Dedicated Server first — it helps confirm that the move really makes sense for your workload.

This article focuses on what comes next: the practical migration sequence teams actually use when scaling from virtual to physical infrastructure — what to copy, how to sync safely, and how to verify everything before the DNS cutover.

How the Migration Works: What Moves, How, and Where It Lands

A calm migration works even if you’re switching providers. The difference is in how carefully it’s staged. At is*hosting, we follow the same rhythm every time: sync, align, verify, and only then switch production traffic.

What Moves

The usual set:

• App code and configs
• Databases (dumps or replication)
• Files and media
• Schedulers and workers
• Mail and DNS (DKIM/SPF/DMARC, rDNS, registrar access)
• Control-panel accounts

The list stays the same whether you upgrade a VPS to dedicated within one provider or migrate a VPS to dedicated across providers.

How It Moves

A clean VPS to dedicated hosting upgrade flow usually looks like this:

1. Initial sync. Copy the full dataset from the VPS to the dedicated server.
2. Delta sync/replication. Keep changes flowing while production stays online.
3. Short freeze. Pause writes for final alignment before switching.
4. DNS cutover. Switch records with a low time-to-live (TTL) to minimize propagation time.
5. Verification. Test the new environment via the hosts file before going public.

Many owners move from VPS to dedicated during normal hours when the delta stage is short. If your old host rate-limits backups, we adapt the plan, but the principle stays the same: big copy, tiny final sync, verify, then switch.

How Long Does the Move Take

The duration of a VPS-to-dedicated migration depends mainly on data size and workload complexity:

• For most websites or small applications, the entire move (from initial sync to final DNS cutover) completes within a few hours.
• Larger stacks, multi-site setups, or data-heavy SaaS projects may require up to one or two days, especially if replication runs between different data centers.

Our team works 24/7 and aligns with your quiet hours, so migration can occur during low-traffic periods without disrupting operations.

Where It Lands

After migration, your project lands on a dedicated environment sized for your actual workload. Each app, database, and service is placed on hardware tuned to its role, whether that means a single optimized bare-metal server or a managed cluster.

We mirror your previous setup so everything runs as it did before — just on isolated resources built for higher consistency and control.

If you choose managed service, our team takes full responsibility for configuring and monitoring your new dedicated server, whether you’re moving from a VPS to dedicated hosting or upgrading a direct VPS to a dedicated server. At the same time, you receive full root access immediately after server activation, as well as IPMI access — either instantly or upon request, depending on the specific server and its location.

Some teams start hybrid, running VPS and dedicated server layers side by side, then consolidate once they confirm stability and load patterns.

Policy note: Free transfer from another host is available only when you order any offered control panel (paid or free) together with Standard Management (the same as free administration).

Free administration (Standard Management) does not apply to:

• Servers running Windows (administration for this operating system is not provided).
• Plans NL3-10, NL3-11, NL3-12, NL3-15, NL3-17, NL3-18, NL4-xx, and FI-xx.

Pre-Migration Checklist for Moving from VPS to Dedicated Server

This checklist applies specifically to is*hosting migrations and covers everything our team needs to move your project quickly and safely:

• Access. SSH/SFTP or panel logins for both source and destination, plus registrar or DNS access if we switch records.
• Backups & data. Links to site archives and database dumps (if you already have them), or permission to generate fresh ones.
• Schedulers and workers. A list of cron jobs and any queue or worker processes that must restart after cutover.
• DNS and mail. Current DNS records, DKIM/SPF/DMARC details, and rDNS requirements if you send email.
• App and runtime. Web server and PHP versions, required extensions or modules, and any SSL/TLS certificate info.
• Security notes. Suspected malware, Web Application Firewall rules, allowlists or denylists, or compliance constraints that we must keep intact.
• Cutover preferences. Preferred window, whether a short read-only period is acceptable, whether to keep the old IP until a new one warms up, and whether to avoid any PHP upgrades during cutover.

A crisp checklist is the reason many projects migrate from VPS to dedicated in hours rather than days. It also prevents surprises when mixing VPS and dedicated hosting during a phased rollout.

How to Migrate VPS to Dedicated Servers from Any Host

The steps below reflect the real process of transferring your project to is*hosting for free, along with the related policies.

Same Provider Upgrade

Here’s how to migrate from a VPS to dedicated hosting quickly and safely within is*hosting.

1. Pick the Landing Server

We help you choose the optimal configuration (CPU, RAM, SSD/NVMe, and location) that matches your project’s peak load profile. If you use mail services, we’ll also consider the rDNS setup and the need for sender warm-up.

If you want to keep your IP address, we’ll explain the available options: transferring VPS→VPS is free when both servers remain in the same location; the current cost of moving from VPS→Dedicated is listed on this page. Keeping the same IPs is possible only when both servers are located in the same data center.

2. Open a Transfer Ticket

Indicate that you’re moving from VPS to a dedicated server, add your Service IDs, and confirm whether you need help from our technical team or plan to perform the transfer yourself (or with your own administrators).

If you order a control panel together with Standard Management, the transfer is usually free; otherwise, it’s billed at $35 per hour. We migrate your site one-to-one from the source VPS, so you receive a fully functional copy on your new dedicated server.

3. Share Access

Provide SSH/SFTP or control panel access to your VPS, along with links to any existing archives and database dumps. If you prefer, we can generate fresh dumps and archives as part of the migration process — we’ll just need valid access credentials for your current server.

4. Pre-flight Checklist

We confirm versions (web/PHP/DB), SSL/TLS, cron and queues, mailboxes, and DNS records (DKIM/SPF/DMARC, rDNS), as well as any special constraints (no PHP changes, a read-only window, or keeping legacy modules).

5. Initial Copy and Environment Parity

This is where many teams quietly upgrade from VPS to dedicated under the hood while maintaining identical behavior. We sync files and databases to the dedicated server and align services — same PHP extensions, web server modules, and panel accounts if applicable. Where you use ispmanager, DirectAdmin, or VestaCP, we map accounts for a cleaner import.

6. Delta Sync and Rehearsal

If you prefer a guided approach, this phase feels like a managed VPS-to-dedicated hosting rehearsal before the public switch. We keep changes flowing while production stays online. You can preview privately via the hosts file.

7. Cutover Window

With the TTL low, you can move from VPS to dedicated in minutes. For setups running both web and mail, we also handle rDNS updates and outline any sender warm-up to keep deliverability stable.

8. Owner Validation

After checks pass, you’ve effectively migrated from VPS to a dedicated server with minimal disruption.

After approval, cancel the old VPS if you wish. Unused funds from the VPS period return to your balance.

DNS TTL and the preserved VPS enable a quick rollback while we adjust the dedicated setup if anything unexpected appears.

Cross-Provider Upgrade

Here’s how to migrate from VPS to dedicated at is*hosting with full control, clear timing, and no downtime surprises. The process can be done in one or two short phases, depending on your data volume and workload.

1. Order the Destination Server

You order the dedicated server in your target location. We help size the setup based on your peak usage and advise on the right control panel. If you prefer managed care, choose a VPS-to-dedicated hosting landing that includes a control panel and Standard Management.

2. Access and Inventory

Share SSH/SFTP or panel logins for the old VPS. Provide paths to site files, user uploads, and database dumps (or we’ll generate fresh ones).

3. Security Scan on Request

If you suspect malware, mention it in the ticket. We’ll scan during staging and advise whether cleanup should happen before the cutover, so infections don’t follow you.

4. Environment Match

We align OS family, PHP versions and extensions, web server rules, and panel accounts where applicable. If we must change versions, we document the delta and test it in staging first.

5. Bulk Copy and Delta Sync

This is the safe core of any VPS-to-dedicated server change — big copy first, tiny sync at the end. We import databases and keep syncing incremental changes.

6. Private Verification

You preview via the hosts file, and we provide a focused smoke-test list for main paths.

7. DNS Cutover

With low TTL, it’s straightforward to upgrade from a VPS to a dedicated server. If you use custom DNS or a registrar panel, grant temporary access or be prepared to switch records on your side, following our exact list.

Keeping old IPs is possible only when moving between our servers in the same data center. Otherwise, your project receives new IPs, which is worth noting when comparing VPS vs. dedicated server hosting plans.

8. Email Deliverability

We configure rDNS and, if applicable, outline a brief IP warm-up to maintain sender reputation.

9. Stability Watch and Rollback Plan

We watch logs and metrics after go-live. A pre-planned rollback path is ready while we correct any edge cases.

10. Handover and Documentation

We hand you a summary of versions, paths, backup schedules, monitoring hooks, and how to request future scale-ups.

Transfer Hosting Pricing and Options for VPS and Dedicated Server Plans

Below is an explanation of how our migration pricing and scope work in practice. Use this as a quick guide to see when the transfer is included, when it’s billable, and which cutover style fits your uptime needs.

• Free when you order a server control panel with Standard Management. The team handles the transfer in typical scenarios — copying files and databases, aligning web/PHP/SSL, running sanity checks, and guiding you through the cutover.
• $35 per hour for unmanaged cases (no panel). This covers initial setup, data transfer, and any special tasks by agreement (deep tuning, advanced HA/LB, or legacy stacks).
• Two styles of move. A “migration” with a short downtime window, or “transfer” with a parallel destination so the old VPS stays online until you approve the new one. Unused time on the old server is refunded to your balance, where applicable.

These terms apply equally to mixed stacks where you run VPS and dedicated server components during a phased cutover.

Conclusion

When performance starts fluctuating or resources feel tight, it’s a clear signal to migrate from VPS to dedicated. The move gives you consistency, full control, and room to scale without guesswork.

To move from VPS to dedicated, keep this sequence in mind:

1. Plan ahead. Define your migration window and confirm access to both servers.
2. Copy the base. Run the initial sync of data, databases, and configs.
3. Track changes. Keep replication active until you’re ready to switch.
4. Pause briefly. Stop writes for final alignment and testing.
5. Switch DNS. Lower TTL and cut over once checks pass.
6. Validate. Confirm services, logs, and mail before closing the old VPS.

Following these steps ensures a predictable transfer, no matter the project’s size.